This spring, the territory's various Life Seeds and orchard matters were wrapped up.
What remained were just daily irrigation duties, assigned by Cypress, who commanded the Specialized Blue Soldiers and Large Blue Soldiers.
The Shandong Reservoir was completed.
Round Cypress and Fragrant Cypress each led a team of Worker Ants to excavate water channels on the southern and northern sides of the mountain range, respectively.
The water channel in the North Mountain still led toward the Northern Gorgon Water Reservoir.
The water channel in the South Mountain led to the Azure Blue Reservoir.
After Dragon Cypress advanced to High-Level Ant King, the Deep Blue God-Given Seed grew at a remarkable speed—the tree already topped 30 meters in height, and the lowest, first broad leaf at the base had a diameter of over 4 meters, its height above the water surface exceeding 1 meter.
Dragon Cypress kept vigilant, promptly directing Worker Ants to build up the reservoir's outflow and flood discharge outlets by 0.5 meters.
Correspondingly, the reservoir's water storage depth increased by 0.5 meters, and the surface area expanded.
After two more rounds, the water level would cover up to the "boundary" mapped out by Dragon Cypress.
Azure's spiritual power was so strong it would terrify insects; its perception could envelop a 300-meter radius. It constantly directed Worker Ants to dig and fill earth at the boundary, shaping sloped shoals and wetlands—it planned to plant rice, lotus, gorgon fruit, wild rice, iris, and other shallow-water and marshland plants.
The warm, slightly blazing sunlight, and the Deep Blue God-Given Seed also welcomed a new season of exuberant growth.
The 31st broad leaf at the top slowly unfurled.
With nothing pressing to do, Dragon Cypress lounged at the Dominating Throne, controlling it to help Round Cypress direct the earthmoving team in the North Mountain.
Patrolling at the lead, Giant Cypress hurried over, flocked by a swarm of Soldier Ants, desperately waving its tentacles from afar to signal:
"Great King, something's wrong!"
"Something seems to have happened to Azure…"
Dragon Cypress tensed, let go of the spider silk rope, and rapidly maneuvered the Dominating Throne forward.
"What's happened to Azure?"
"Great King, I was just patrolling by the Azure Blue Reservoir, and saw Azure's 31st broad leaf had opened, but no new bud was sprouting at the top. Was it eaten by insects or birds or something…"
Dragon Cypress was alarmed. The Dominating Throne soared up, crested the mountain, and sped toward the Azure Blue Reservoir. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel★fire.net
The Deep Blue God-Given Seed had only one main trunk reaching straight upward, no side branches.
If the only apical bud at the top were damaged by insects or birds, what future growth would there be? That would be catastrophic!
The Dominating Throne neared. Azure sensed Dragon Cypress's alarm and asked in confusion:
"Dragon Cypress, what's wrong with you?"
What's wrong with me?
Dragon Cypress: "Azure, are you okay?"
From afar, after the new broad leaf had emerged, there really wasn't another new bud at the top.
Azure sent over a wave of confused emotions: What happened to me?
The Dominating Throne hovered above the tree crown.
Dragon Cypress leaned over the edge of the throne, examining up close.
No bite marks or snapped wounds.
After the 31st broad leaf grew out, no new bud emerged.
"Azure? What's going on with you…"
"Dragon Cypress, what happened?"
"Have you reached your limit for new growth?"
Azure sent another wave of confused mental questions, having no idea what was meant.
Dragon Cypress: "Your treetop isn't growing new leaves?"
Azure shot back the question.
Dragon Cypress: "..."
Dragon Cypress finally relaxed, though was left bewildered.
"Azure, do you feel you're lacking in Origin Force?"
"Have you felt short of nutrients?"
"Dragon Cypress, you just fertilized me a few days ago."
"Have you felt…anything off?"
"That's good. Then you probably just reached the leaf growth cap…"
Dragon Cypress maneuvered the Dominating Throne lower, carefully inspecting one broad leaf after another.
The newly opened, topmost leaf was only five or six centimeters in diameter.
The next one down, about ten centimeters across.
The next one again, twelve or thirteen centimeters.
Layer after layer down, Dragon Cypress kept track of each leaf's size. Counting up from the base, the sixth broad leaf made the Dominating Throne hover in place.
This broad leaf was over three meters in diameter. Underneath it, on a woody leaf vein thicker than Dragon Cypress's hind leg, clusters of blue-green, grape-sized fruits hung sparsely.
—This batch of Azure Fruit should ripen this fall.
—The next spring will bring flowering, and productivity should rise dramatically, right?
—Will it still only be six leaves that flower and bear fruit?
—It corresponds to the evolutionary level…
A flash of inspiration hit Dragon Cypress's mind, and a hypothesis formed.
The Deep Blue God-Given Seed had previously evolved to heights Dragon Cypress could neither understand nor imagine.
It had transformed into a seed and reset itself—though all memories were wiped, many former-lifetime habits remained, manifesting as some rather eccentric, puzzling behaviors in this life.
Maybe its form had also diverged from its original plant race characteristics.
Do its number of leaves correspond to its former Life Level?
Life Evolution—Primary, Mid-Level, High-Level—each corresponding to six broad leaves flowering and fruiting.
On average, every two broad leaves equal one Great Rank.
By this logic, Mountain Lord Level is eight broad leaves, Lord-Level is ten, Insect King is twelve broad leaves.
Insect King isn't the end of Force Evolution.
One more Great Rank above Insect King would be fourteen broad leaves.
One higher Great Rank is sixteen broad leaves…
So thirty-one broad leaves would correspond to…
Fifteen and a half Great Ranks?
If so, the previous Deep Blue God-Given Seed's evolutionary level truly soared past the skyline!
"Azure, you're fine. There's nothing wrong."
"Don't have the Worker Ants dig that steep slope to the east. I want to plant fruit trees at the shore so fruit falling into the lake can feed the fish."
"And don't randomly dig near the dam—if heavy rains cause the dam to breach, that's a real disaster."
"…I haven't touched that area."
"Good! No haphazard digging."
Dragon Cypress guided the Dominating Throne flying to meet the columns of ants hurrying up the mountain.
Everyone, don't panic, it's a normal phenomenon—just a false alarm.
The Deep Blue God-Given Seed's number of broad leaves had reached its limit—would the trunk scale keep expanding?
Dragon Cypress wasn't completely reassured and kept inspecting mornings and evenings, observing closely.
Within three days, a preliminary conclusion took shape.
The leaves kept expanding in size.
After three more days, it was certain the trunk was still growing taller, just at a slower rate.
The trunk scale continued to increase, which meant yields would keep rising as well.
With that, Dragon Cypress was finally at ease.
After witnessing Mulberry's Flame Ability, Dragon Cypress was getting itchy, contemplating eating more Origin Force Food to enhance Water System Ability.
Azure Fruit was undoubtedly the best choice.
Up till now, Dragon Cypress had always been reluctant to eat Azure's yield.
If the yield got high enough, maybe it could finally be considered.
Mountain frogs, toads, crickets, grasshoppers and other small animals and insects grew ever more vocally active across the hills.
Dragon Cypress made preparations in advance.
First, a trip to Kiwifruit Mountain to move Fragrant Cypress, Cypress, plus forty Specialized Worker Ants, thirty Large Worker Ants, ten Specialized Soldier Ants, and twenty Soldier Ants of all sizes (large, medium, small, micro) over there.
Fragrant Cypress directed Worker Ants to help Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple dig two Marsh Gas Pools.
Cypress led the Soldier Ants to protect their Life Seed Plants.
Ink Orchid was brought back to Xianglan Mountain, with Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple joining as well.
Gear packed up, it was time to set off on this early summer's Roving Merchant trade journey.
PS: Extra chapter tomorrow.